Watch strap



H. R. BAKER Jan. 9, H1,940.

WATCH STRAP Filed April 2, 1937 the wrist by passing thewrist between the open Patented Jan.. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES WATCH STRAP Harry Baker, Chula Vista., Calif., .assignor to Joseph C. Miller, Compton, Calif.

Application April z, i937, serial No. 134sss 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a exible watch strap such as may be used to mount a Watch on the wrist, and pertains particularly to a watch strap provided with a self-contained deformable lspring member normally conforming to the shape of the wrist. Y

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a Watch strap having no exposed metal parts and provided with a self-contained metallic spring member adapted to provide substantially all of the forces necessary to cause the strap to remain in position during use and to adequatelyv resist all forces normally encountered in use which would'tend to cause the strap to become displaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Watch strap having an internal open-ended spring member encased in a nonT-metallic envelope, in which the open ends of the strap are caused to overlap and frictionally inter-engage one another in use, but which may be manually separated to provide for placing the strap about ends instead of requiring the strap to be slipped over the hand according to common practice.

A further object of the invention is to provide a watch strap having a exible open-ended spring member encased in a suitable non-metallic envelope and readily removable from such envelope for replacement in case of breakage. A further v object of the invention is to provide a watch strap provided with a flexible resilient spring member and an enclosing envelope therefor, in which the end portions of the strap may be caused to frictionally inter-engage to position the same comfortably with respect to a wrist of substantially any size.

The device of the present invention comprises, essentially, a iiexible metallic strap formed of a resilient material such as spring steel and shaped to conform to the general outline of a wrist, and an encasing envelope of non-metallic material such as leather or the like, the open ends of the strap member being adapted to rest in overlapping -relation in use, with one of said ends inserted within a suitable opening in the envelope in the other of said ends whereby said ends are in frictional engagement with one another.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and referring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device, taken in such direction as to show the internal appearance of the overlapping ends;`

Fig. la is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the portion of the device shown within the dotted area indicated at Ia in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device showing the normal position of the parts in use in full lines and an extended position in dot- 6 dash lines, showing the manner in which the strap may be opened for placement upon a wrist;

Fig. 2a is a transverse sectional view of the end portions of thedevice in the extended position indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2; 10

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; g

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device taken in such manner as to show the external appearance of the overlapping end portions in use.

Referring to the drawing, the device may comprise a fiat spring steel member l shaped into a generally elliptical outline with the respective ends 2 and 3 thereof in overlapping relation at one side of the ellipse and preferably flattened as at la at the opposite side of the ellipse so as to provide a attened portion along which a watch may be disposed as shown in dot-dash line'sat 4. It will be appreciated that it is not essential that the strap be provided with this flattened portion, particularly in view of the fact that some wrist Watches are given an arcuate shape sov as to more nearly conform to the Wrist outline, but the major portion of watches 110W available for wrist Wear are substantially ilat and the outer contour of the wrist is also relatively flat when compared with the balance of the contour of the Wrist, Wherefore the above-mentioned iiattened portion is in general most desirable.

The spring member I is enclosed in a suitable non-metallic envelope 5 formed of leather or fabric, said envelope preferably comprising inner and outer wall portions 5a and 5b stitched together along the marginal edges as at 6. The envelope at one end of the spring (for example, at the end 2) is made somewhat wider than the envelope at the other end of the spring, and the outer wall 5b is slotted adjacent said one end as at 1 so as to receive the said other end of the envelope asis shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5. For the purpose of description I have indicated the end of the strap which contains the end 2 of the spring I by the character A and the opposite end of the strap by the character B, and it will be seen that the respective ends provide cooperating male and female portions such that when the end B is inserted within the slot 1 in the end A, said end B becomes frictionally engaged by the outer wall b of the envelope at one side and by the spring I at the other side, this frictional engagement being suiiicient to cause the ends A and B to persist in substantially any position of adjustment about the wrist of the user. In order to remove the strap from the wrist, it is merely necessary to grasp the strap at either side ofthe overlapping portions," and pull the same outwardly from the wrist, causing the strap to .assume some such position as is shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2. The strap may then be removed from the Wrist by pulling the same directly away from the wrist or by moving the same longitudinally over the hand.

Any suitable means may b'e provided for securing the watch to the strap, as by means of small loops II secured to the envelope 5 in any suitable manner. In the present embodiment the loops are shown as formed of a single strap of material Whose end portions I2 are bent back upon themselves and extended through a suitable slot I3 in the outer Wall 5b of the envelope, the portions I2 being preferably extended longitudinally of the device so as to extend to the edges of the envelope 5 and are stitched together when the marginal stitching 6 is applied, so that the loop II becomes an integral part of the envelope 5. The loops I I are shown as tapered outwardly from the slot I3, whereby Watches of different widths may be accommodated by the simple expedient of cutting oi the ear portions I I a of the loops I I to fit a particular Watch.

It will be noted that the spring member I is merely encapsuled Within the envelope 5, and is not secured thereto in any manner. This feature provides for ready removal of said spring member from the envelope, by the simple expedient of stretching the envelope along the length of the spring member so as to cause the slot 1 to be pulled along the length of the spring member until the spring end 2 is opposite said slot, after which the spring member may be removed from the envelope through said slot.

I When the strap is in position about a Wrist, the frictional engagement of the end B Within the slot I is sufficient to cause the strap to remain in place upon the wrist, even though the envelope material should be broken or torn, inasmuch as the stresses to which the device will be subjected are communicated directly to the spring member I. This is of particular importance in view of the fact that perspiration has a very deleterious effect on leather and other fabrics,

and ai'ter a strap has been in use some time, `the envelope material may have little or no tensile strength. With the present device it has been deiinitely shown that the strap will maintain a watch in position on the Wrist even where the envelope material has failed completely, purely through the above-mentioned frictional engagement at the slot 1. It will be appreciated that the space between the outerwall 5b of the strap end A and the spring member I extends around the strap, so that as the strap is placed in position about a wrist and the end B inserted within the slot 1, said end B may be forced inwardly of the aforesaid space to any required amount, in order to cause the strap to t snugly about the wrist, so that a single commercial model of the strap is adequate to t substantially any size wrist within reasonable limits.

The invention is not strictly to be limited to the above delineated and described embodiment, inasmuch as modifications may be made in the construction within the skill of the art, but rather to 'the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A watch strap which comprises an openended exible spring member and an enclosing non-metallic flexible envelope surrounding said spring member, said envelope being slotted adjacent one end to provide an opening adapted to receive the other end of said envelope and the contained spring member in frictional engagement, the outer surface of the received end of said strap being engaged by the inner surface of the outer wall of said envelope and the inner surface of said received end being engaged by the outer surface of said spring member Within said opening, the frictional engagement being suflicient to hold the respective ends of said strap in adjusted position against ordinary stresses encountered in use. I

2. A watch strap sha'ped to conform to the wrist outline, which comprises a non-continuous open-ended iiexible spring member, and an enclosing non-metallic ilexible envelope surrounding said spring member, one end of said envelope being provided with an elongated pocket having an opening adapted to frictionally receive the other end of said envelope interiorly of said one vend and within said pocket, the frictional engagement being suiiicient to hold the respective ends of said strap in adjusted position against ordinary stresses encountered in use.

HARRY R. BAKER. 

